Will the Firing of Don Imus Be Bad for Democrats?

Some political analysts say the cancellation of the Don Imus show will be a blow to Democratic politicians who had found a sympathetic ear in the largely Republican-dominated medium of talk radio. The Los Angeles Times reports Democrats such as Christopher Dodd, John Kerry and Joe Lieberman had come to count on Imus as a unique vehicle to reach a crucial voting bloc — politically independent white men.

Dodd, who announced his presidential candidacy on the Imus show, told CNN that an appearance on Imus gives politicians a chance to reach an audience that "doesn't always watch the Sunday morning talk shows."

"Ho" Trouble

Imus got in trouble for using the word "ho" to describe members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team. But a comedian in Chicago who regularly uses that word in his act — along with "bitch" — was made a spokesman for a campaign to halt violence against women anyway.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports comedian Jay Deep appears in T.V., print, and city bus ads sponsored by the Chicago Foundation for Women.

He defends using the words in his act — saying he is an artist — while maintaining he is committed to the anti-violence program. But the associate director of the group says no one at the foundation had ever seen him perform before signing him to do the ads — and says if they had, he would not have been recruited.

Meanwhile the executive director of Chicago's Battered Women's Network says she's in shock over putting him in the ads — saying you have to know who you're working with.

Capitol Humor

And while we're talking about speech that some feel can be offensive, listen to this exchange between Democratic Senators Charles Schumer and freshman Sheldon Whitehouse upon Whitehouse's first meeting of the judiciary committee in January.

The Washington Post says Schumer called out, "Hey, Sheldon, normally, you've got to be a Jew or a Catholic to get on this committee. You're the first WASP."

"Hey, Chuck," Whitehouse shot back, looking over a room filled with four Catholics, five Jews and himself. "This is the first time in my life I've brought diversity to a group."

Refusing to Meet

A man whose son was killed in the Iraq war says lawmakers who are pushing for troop withdrawal timelines are refusing to meet with him to discuss it. Kris Hager tells Cybercast News Service that such a pullout would mean his son's life was wasted.

But, he says, he's been rebuffed in attempts to visit or talk on the phone with several top Democrats, including John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha.

Hager says: "I've seen them embracing Cindy Sheehan. They make themselves accessible to people who agree with them."